Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .308 Marlin Express with .308 | 165gr | Barnes X FN bullet and 46 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are IMR 3031, Winchester 748 and Lovex D073.6.
Important Notice: DO NOT go below Minimum Charge or above Maximum Charge. Since we have no control over the equipment and components used, any responsibility and liability for the results achieved is rejected.
Only powders/loads that match the current filter criteria are displayed: max pressure of a load ≤ 90% of max. standardized pressure, fill rate ≥ 80% and propellant combustion ≥ 95%. Use the sliders above the tables to adjust these thresholds.
Charge: Powder weight in grains. Start with the minimum load and work up carefully.
FR (Fill Rate): Case fill as a percentage. Values above 100% mean compressed loads.
MaxP / %: Maximum chamber pressure in bar and as a percentage of the standardized maximum for this caliber.
V(0): Muzzle velocity in feet per second (fps) at the standardized barrel length.
z (Powder Burn): Estimated propellant combustion percentage at bullet exit.
A valid access license is required to use the Personalized Load Calculator.
You can find more information in our FAQ: How can I use the Personalized Load Calculator?
Max Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,206 psi | 88% | 2346 fps | 99.9% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,294 psi | 90% | 2388 fps | 98.5% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 96% | 43,178 psi | 90% | 2425 fps | 100% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,786 psi | 89% | 2421 fps | 98.1% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 98% | 42,873 psi | 90% | 2444 fps | 99% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,742 psi | 87% | 2382 fps | 99.1% |
| ADI Benchmark 8208 | <<locked>> | 90% | 43,120 psi | 90% | 2385 fps | 96.3% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,915 psi | 85% | 2405 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5 | <<locked>> | 98% | 42,003 psi | 88% | 2421 fps | 95.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,496 psi | 89% | 2359 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,163 psi | 88% | 2297 fps | 99.4% |
| Hodgdon Benchmark | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,147 psi | 86% | 2306 fps | 96.4% |
| Hodgdon BL-C2 | <<locked>> | 92% | 43,163 psi | 90% | 2451 fps | 97.1% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,698 psi | 85% | 2365 fps | 99% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,495 psi | 87% | 2385 fps | 98.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 33,707 psi | 70% | 1496 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,466 psi | 87% | 2438 fps | 99.6% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,930 psi | 86% | 2293 fps | 100% |
| IMR 8208 XBR | <<locked>> | 90% | 43,120 psi | 90% | 2385 fps | 96.3% |
| Lovex D073.5 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,873 psi | 90% | 2382 fps | 97.3% |
| Lovex D073.6 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,002 psi | 86% | 2402 fps | 97.7% |
| Lovex S062 | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,757 psi | 89% | 2398 fps | 96.4% |
| Norma 201 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,801 psi | 89% | 2379 fps | 96.3% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,163 psi | 88% | 2395 fps | 98.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 33,692 psi | 70% | 1529 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 40 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,756 psi | 85% | 2343 fps | 97.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,743 psi | 89% | 2487 fps | 97.1% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,569 psi | 89% | 2356 fps | 98.3% |
| Rottweil R 902 | <<locked>> | 94% | 43,250 psi | 90% | 2379 fps | 96.4% |
| Shooters World Match Rifle | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,002 psi | 86% | 2402 fps | 97.7% |
| Shooters World Precision | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,757 psi | 89% | 2398 fps | 96.4% |
| Shooters World Tactical Rifle | <<locked>> | 84% | 43,149 psi | 90% | 2346 fps | 95.8% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,322 psi | 88% | 2388 fps | 98.4% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,830 psi | 89% | 2362 fps | 99.7% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,830 psi | 89% | 2316 fps | 98.5% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,930 psi | 86% | 2306 fps | 99% |
| Somchem S321 | <<locked>> | 86% | 40,872 psi | 85% | 2372 fps | 96.1% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,887 psi | 88% | 2323 fps | 99% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,859 psi | 90% | 2316 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,206 psi | 88% | 2320 fps | 99.8% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,888 psi | 90% | 2415 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,438 psi | 89% | 2379 fps | 98.8% |
| Vihtavuori N150ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,220 psi | 86% | 2369 fps | 96.4% |
| Vihtavuori N530 | <<locked>> | 90% | 43,236 psi | 90% | 2385 fps | 96.4% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,089 psi | 86% | 2372 fps | 98.1% |
| Winchester 748 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,698 psi | 87% | 2421 fps | 97% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,678 psi | 70% | 2185 fps | 98.8% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,056 psi | 75% | 2254 fps | 96.8% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,122 psi | 57% | 2100 fps | 97.4% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 82% | 33,301 psi | 70% | 2238 fps | 95.5% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 84% | 28,790 psi | 60% | 2156 fps | 95.2% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,160 psi | 82% | 2336 fps | 98.7% |
| ADI Benchmark 8208 | <<locked>> | 86% | 38,479 psi | 80% | 2300 fps | 95% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,516 psi | 64% | 2198 fps | 99.8% |
| Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5 | <<locked>> | 96% | 39,566 psi | 83% | 2375 fps | 95% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,029 psi | 79% | 2280 fps | 99.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,784 psi | 83% | 2254 fps | 99.1% |
| Hodgdon Benchmark | <<locked>> | 82% | 36,825 psi | 77% | 2221 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon BL-C2 | <<locked>> | 86% | 35,984 psi | 75% | 2313 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,230 psi | 76% | 2277 fps | 98.1% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,419 psi | 76% | 2287 fps | 97.2% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 25,092 psi | 52% | 1332 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | 29.6 gr | 80% | 29,428 psi | 61% | 2175 fps | 96.8% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,972 psi | 81% | 2257 fps | 100% |
| IMR 8208 XBR | <<locked>> | 86% | 38,479 psi | 80% | 2300 fps | 95% |
| Lovex D073.5 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,708 psi | 75% | 2247 fps | 95.3% |
| Lovex D073.6 | 33.1 gr | 84% | 31,865 psi | 67% | 2221 fps | 95% |
| Lovex S062 | <<locked>> | 92% | 38,421 psi | 80% | 2316 fps | 95.1% |
| Norma 201 | <<locked>> | 88% | 38,508 psi | 80% | 2300 fps | 95.1% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 82% | 31,691 psi | 66% | 2185 fps | 95.7% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 25,193 psi | 53% | 1365 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 40 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,027 psi | 75% | 2251 fps | 95.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60 | <<locked>> | 96% | 37,985 psi | 79% | 2388 fps | 95.3% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,330 psi | 72% | 2192 fps | 96.3% |
| Rottweil R 902 | <<locked>> | 90% | 38,566 psi | 81% | 2293 fps | 95.1% |
| Shooters World Match Rifle | <<locked>> | 84% | 31,865 psi | 67% | 2221 fps | 95% |
| Shooters World Precision | <<locked>> | 92% | 38,421 psi | 80% | 2316 fps | 95.1% |
| Shooters World Tactical Rifle | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,495 psi | 85% | 2300 fps | 95.1% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,769 psi | 83% | 2343 fps | 97.9% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,232 psi | 80% | 2280 fps | 99.1% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,271 psi | 67% | 2113 fps | 95.7% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 82% | 27,905 psi | 58% | 2031 fps | 95.2% |
| Somchem S321 | <<locked>> | 84% | 38,479 psi | 80% | 2326 fps | 95.4% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,821 psi | 66% | 2123 fps | 96.6% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,390 psi | 76% | 2201 fps | 99.7% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,850 psi | 67% | 2123 fps | 98.3% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,369 psi | 57% | 2093 fps | 97.2% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 82% | 29,965 psi | 63% | 2126 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N150 | <<locked>> | 96% | 36,448 psi | 76% | 2277 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N530 | <<locked>> | 86% | 38,493 psi | 80% | 2297 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 84% | 30,777 psi | 64% | 2159 fps | 95% |
| Winchester 748 | 34.5 gr | 86% | 36,970 psi | 77% | 2326 fps | 95.5% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
ᴾ possible press load - work up slowly to this load while watching for signs of excessive pressure.
This overview compares 46 powders for .308 Marlin Express loaded with the .308 | 165gr | Barnes X FN. ReloadSwiss RS 60 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,487 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,496 fps to 2,487 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 46 of the 46 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (330 MPa), the top charges use 70–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 165.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:14.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Hodgdon TrailBoss, ReloadSwiss RS 14, ReloadSwiss RS 60 reach 100 % fill or more at maximum charge, so these are compressed loads: they need a long drop tube to seat cleanly and react sensitively to the case capacity of your own brass lot. IMR 3031, Winchester 748, Lovex D073.6 rank at the top here: for .308 Marlin Express with the .308 | 165gr | Barnes X FN they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.